Adults’ Verbal Abuse Toward Children: The Role of Unintended Parenthood, Parenting Stress, and Social Psychological Risk

Angela M. Kaufman-Parks (), Monica A. Longmore, Wendy D. Manning and Peggy C. Giordano
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Angela M. Kaufman-Parks: Assumption University, Department of Sociology & Criminology
Monica A. Longmore: Bowling Green University, Department of Sociology and Center for Family and Demographic Research
Wendy D. Manning: Bowling Green University, Department of Sociology and Center for Family and Demographic Research
Peggy C. Giordano: Bowling Green University, Department of Sociology and Center for Family and Demographic Research

Chapter Chapter 11 in Advances in Social Demography, 2025, pp 267-294 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Unintended parenthood is associated with a variety of adverse parent and child outcomes. One such outcome may be parents’ verbal abuse toward children, although research in this area is scant and that which does exist is often limited in its assessment of potential confounding factors. Using data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) the present research assessed verbal abuse toward children among an adult sample of both men and women (n = 580) as an outcome of unintended parenthood while also accounting for a wide array of sociodemographic characteristics; parents’ exposure to adversity during childhood, including parents’ own child maltreatment victimization histories; and contemporaneous social psychological risk factors of adult drug and alcohol use and parenting stress. The goal of this research was to examine whether parenthood intentions influenced child verbal abuse generally and when both distal and proximal risks are accounted for. Findings demonstrated unintended parenthood was a significant predictor of verbal abuse toward children, even when accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and parents’ own childhood adversity; however, the effect became statistically nonsignificant when parental alcohol use and parenting stress was considered. Potential mechanisms underlying these relationships are discussed and suggestions for developing evidence-based family planning and sexual health education programs and services, as well as early preventive and interventive child maltreatment programs, based on the present study’s findings are provided.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-89737-5_11

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